Chamber rolls out red carpet for tourist season

PORTSMOUTH — The city is opening welcome arms to visitors from near and far as the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce opens its Market Square kiosk Friday.

Suzanne Laurent

PORTSMOUTH — The city is opening welcome arms to visitors from near and far as the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce opens its Market Square kiosk Friday.

Hit the Desks, the annual celebration of outdoor dining, kicked off the official tourist season Friday.

"With Memorial Day just ahead, the chamber is getting ready to roll out the red carpet for visitors to Portsmouth and the Seacoast," said Valerie Rochon, tourism director for the chamber.

In addition to the information kiosk in the square, the Visitors Center at 500 Market St. has also opened and volunteer training is complete.

Three dinners were recently held for staff and volunteers at three local restaurants. The Library in Portsmouth hosted the visitor assistants' dinner and Bonta Restaurant in Hampton hosted the volunteers' dinner. All chamber staff and volunteers were treated to a dinner Newick's Lobster House in Dover last Wednesday.

"Our volunteers do such an amazing job of hosting all our guests during the busy summer months," Rochon said.

One friendly face visitors will see at the Visitors Center is Robin Whittaker. "It is so awesome to be back," she said.

Whittaker is a past chamber board of directors member and past chairwoman of the board. She also knows a lot about Portsmouth and is the former owner of the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company. Whittaker suffered a brain injury in a snowboarding accident several years ago, and with determination and support from Krempels Center in Portsmouth, she is regaining her mobility and confidence enough to volunteer at the chamber and the Great Bay Discovery Center.

The chamber is kicking off Memorial Day weekend with a party for Shop Portsmouth Friday Nights at a dozen shops throughout town. From 5 to 8 p.m. May 23, there will be specials, trunk shows, beverages and food at participating businesses. For a list of shops, visit www.shopportsmouth.org.

Rochon also has a valuable tip for visitors. "Upon arrival, people want to leave their cars as soon as possible," she said. "I want to let people know about the new park and ride shuttle."

The Portsmouth Parking Shuttle offers free rides and parking on weekends at Connect Community Church off Market Street, just off exit 7 from Interstate 95. The shuttle runs every 10 minutes between the church parking lot and the High-Hanover Parking Garage. For details, visit www.parkportsmouth.org.

The chamber can always use more volunteers, especially during the summer. If interested, call volunteer coordinator Susan Middleton at 610-5510 or e-mail her at visitorservices@portsmouthchamber.org.

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